“I believe there is still the matter of my five questions,” Paige said when they were done. The tone of her voice made it seem like they were in a boardroom, not the kitchen of what his sister referred to as a “shabby chic” inn, whatever that meant. Perhaps that was just how Paige operated—all business, all the time. Then again, she certainly had a softer side when it came to the dogs. She was downright mushy with them at times, which was directly at odds with almost everything else he knew about her, although admittedly that wasn’t much. But that was all about to change, since he still had all ten of his questions.
Paige, on the other hand, did not. He noticed that she conveniently ignored the controversial sixth-question debate, but Lucas didn’t mind. Partly because he’d only been teasing her and partly because, much to his surprise, he didn’t mind answering her questions. He’d never been an open book, as they say, preferring to listen rather than speak, and after losing both his parents and later his wife, that inclination had only grown stronger. But for some reason, telling Paige about the loss of his parents felt cathartic, even after so many years.
Lucas took a seat on one of the iron barstools. “Shoot.”
Paige joined him at the island, but rather than diving right in, she took her time. Lucas assumed she was weighing her options. She was already halfway through her ten questions. If she was as competitive about Twenty Questions: The Paige Parker Edition as she was about cards and video games, she was probably strategizing how to turn five into seven.
“Just so you know,” he teased. “Two-part questions count twice.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She smiled, but the expression didn’t reach her eyes. “I was actually just trying to decide…”
Her tone had changed. Lucas knew exactly what was coming next.
“When you were talking about moving here,” she said, “you said your sister called ‘us’…”
“Me and my late wife,” he offered. It was a fair question for her to ask. To be honest, he was surprised it hadn’t come up sooner. He’d been dreading it, of course, the moment when the look on her face would turn to one of pity. It was an inevitable reaction when people heard the news. But as he searched Paige Parker’s expression, he didn’t find pity, but rather genuine concern.
“What was her name?” she asked. The question took him by surprise. Most people blurted out “I’m sorry” or “How terrible.” But not Paige. She didn’t belittle his loss with some generic response. Instead, she asked her name. It was a simple question, but it meant so much, because his late wife wasn’t a statistic or a tragic story. She was a person who had a name and loved ones who missed her.
“Jenny.” Lucas’s gaze shifted to the hallway. “I was looking at photos of her the other night when you saw me in the living room.”
“I figured they had to have been of someone you’d lost,” Paige said. “You seemed so sad, but there was also something almost peaceful in your expression. At least from what I could tell.”
Lucas knew exactly what she was talking about. He felt it, although he never quite understood it. How he could be so filled with anguish, yet at the same time feel like there was no place in the world he’d rather be. Looking at those images made him long for happier days, but at the same time brought him comfort like nothing else in his life. In the end, the pain far outweighed the comfort, which was why he’d forced himself to keep those albums locked in the cabinet. Until that night.
“She died two years ago,” he said. She hadn’t asked, but it was the next logical question.
“Will you tell me about her? Or is that too painful?”
Lucas considered his answer. “No, I think it actually might help.” In the early days, Jenny was never far from his thoughts. She was with him every day, from the moment he opened his eyes and reality seeped through the sleepy edges of his consciousness until he lay down in the bed at night. But lately thoughts of her seemed fewer and farther between. It wasn’t something he could control. It just…happened. “Lately, my memories of her are starting to feel like those old 8mm movies, sort of grainy and fuzzy around the edges.” He hated that. Hated it even more that Maddie was starting to forget her mother entirely. “Most everyone in my life tries to avoid the topic.” He smirked. “Probably because I bit their heads off when they tried to bring it up before, but now…”
“You feel ready?”
He nodded, but it was more complicated than that. He wasn’t ready to talk about Jenny to just anyone. He was ready to talk about her with Paige.
“How did you two meet?” she asked, offering him a place to start.
Lucas smiled. “In a completely boring way,” he said. “Wish I had a better story for you—like we were high-school sweethearts or we met at the top of the Empire State Building or something—but fact is we met while waiting in line at a Starbucks.”
“I guess if it’s meant to be, it will be. No drama necessary,” she said. “Nice Sleepless in Seattle reference, by the way. Didn’t peg you for a rom-com fan.”
“I’m not,” he said. “But what man hasn’t been subjected to watching that film?”
Paige nodded. “Or When Harry Met Sally. Or Notting Hill. Or The Proposal.”
Lucas held up his hands. “I get your point.”
Paige blushed. “Sorry. Favorite genre.”
“I can tell,” he said.
“How long were you married?”
Not long enough, he wanted to answer. But instead he stuck to the facts. “Five years.”
“And did you live here the whole time?”
Lucas appreciated the fact that Paige was asking him questions about Jenny’s life, as opposed to her death. People were usually so focused on the tragedy, they forgot that before the loss, there’d been a life.
“Only two years,” he said. “The place was a real mess when we bought it. Personally, I thought it was a lost cause and that the sellers should have been looking for a developer to tear it down, not some poor saps to spend their life savings trying to restore it.” He smiled. “But the Realtor was no fool. She framed this big black-and-white photo of the place in its heyday. Jenny took one look at it, and she was sold.”
“And you?”
“Not so much.” He chuckled. “But I was never very good at saying no to her, so here we are.” He looked around the room. “The place has gotten away from me a bit lately, but you should have seen it when we were done.” He felt a sense of pride that was quickly dashed by the disappointment he felt over letting their hard work slip so far away.
“It still looks great. Just needs a little TLC.”